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Its because the police are so frightened of offending motorists that they have opted out of enforcing laws except where they are remote. I'm not being entirely flippant here. Local PC will not use camera evidence of parking on crossings and their zig-zags as he is frit of the local paper.
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[Pauses to put on Grumpy Old Man hat]
What happened to giving way when emerging from a sliproad onto a motorway? What began as a courtesy - moving out into the middle lane to make room in the nearside one for joining traffic - is now a near-necessity, as drivers on the sliproad make no effort to match their speed to the lane they are joining, or even to look in the mirror to see if the lane is clear. It's compounded by drivers who join in nose-to-tail snakes, clinging to the bumper of the car in front and expecting to follow it into the same gap. I always leave a good gap ahead of me, so there's always scope for a car on the slip road to accelerate into the space in front of me, but time after time I find myself adjusting my speed or moving over for a joining driver who plainly isn't looking for me.
Whatever we say about driving in France, they have this one pretty well sorted. I've never had this problem there.
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This problem is caused by people being frightened to put their foot down on slip roads and trying to join at 30-40mph, spotting a gap and going into it with no regard for traffic already on the motorway travelling at almost double their speed. In most cars it's easier to scrub a bit of speed off and merge than it is to try and accelerate.
People also don't seem to bother about closing speeds when changing lanes these days - I wouldn't dream of moving out in front of someone who was going significantly faster than me unless they were well further back, but people see a gap the size of their car plus a foot and move into it regardless. I think this is what causes a lot of tailgating, and I'm probably guilty of driving a little too close in order to stop slower traffic cutting in front at times.
I use my cruise control quite a lot and it's shocking the number of people who cannot maintain a steady speed. People overtake, pull in front, and then slow down, then look at you funny when you pull out to overtake them.
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Also - a couple of years ago I was knocked off a bike in Headingley, in Leeds (still sueing the driver who knocked me off). Thought I'd add that in the last week there have been two serious incidents with people in the university cycling club knocked off. Police and ambulances each time. Problem caused by a lack of police stopping cars parking on double yellows, and inept drivers turning left without looking. Speed camera, but traffic rarely moves faster than 15-20 mph anyway.
It annoys drivers but the only way I ride that bit of road now is either in the middle of the lane (don't give a toss anymore if a queue builds up behind me), and on the pavement.
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I regularly cross the local main road on a pedestrian crossing, flshing yellow beacons etc.
For the third time in 3 years I have been crossing when a driver does not stop and crosses over the side of the road I have not yet walked on....
Traffic police? None..
Speed cameras.. 4 new ones being installed 2 miles away... sigh...
Got to get our priorities right. Stop cars speeding does NOT always equate to stopping muppets driving..
And I'm not against speed cameras.. I'm just against dangerous drivers...
madf
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It annoys drivers but the only way I ride that bit of road now is in the middle of the lane
That is the only way David. Primary position, or as Richard Ballantine called it 30 years ago, riding high.
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Whatever we say about driving in France, they have this one pretty well sorted. I've never had this problem there.
They drive far better in France than here, and in Italy too. The Germans however are insane motorway drivers, or some are.
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David, I know I've laboured this point till I am blue in the face and everyone is bored... but Leeds is full of maniacs. It seems to breed a special kind of arrogance. The M62 is the devil's own motorway.
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.....and in Italy too....
? Not IMH. Lunatics, the lot of ´em, but a friendly bunch.
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I too find that I feel that I 'have' to move over when approaching a sliproad even if the lane to my right is busy with faster moving traffic.
Some drivers seem unable to adjust their speed to either filter in infront or behind me.
As it is happening so often I wondered if some rule had changed in the Highway Code recently?
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